Day Twenty-three

I have been to Whole Foods numerous times this week. As in, almost every other day. This was not unusual when I was going to T-Joes; it is down the street after all. However, this week was is in part due to a stint of house guests, and therefore more frequent needs to 'pick something up at the market.'  All this shopping, both the legitimate grocery kind and the quick snacks for the beach kind, have made me realize two things.

First, I began to appreciate my relationship with TJ's even more. I have moved beyond the people and familiar products to the actual physical space of the store. I don't need a list at Trader Joe's, I just need that predictable layout. Meandering through the store, I can quickly buy a weeks worth of groceries. I know what I want and need from each section. Like an ant on my daily route, there is an invisible path I follow each and every time, that weaves through the aisles in the precise order of importance: fruit and veggies first, maybe some cheese, rice cakes, coffee and canned goods, bread, booze, frozen foods and desserts. It is so easy. And when they (my employee friends) rearrange the store - for what I can only assume is for the benefit of creating new synaptic associations in my brain, therefor promising a long and healthy brain life - I am comfortable approaching a crew member for some direction.

When I walk into a Whole Foods, I am in Oz. I don't know where to begin. What's worse, is I have two to choose from. Each has its pros and cons, so my mood and proximity tend to decide where I go. Consequently, there are items that are easy for me to locate in one store and not the other. Even the produce section is daunting because there is so much. Not my last visit (yesterday, Friday) but the visit before (Saturday) I went in for staple grocery items. I left without two of those items. What it boils down to is I need a list, which I usually forget in the car or on the table.  So I guess, what it really boils down to, is I need to develop a better system. 


My second observation isn't so bleak. Apart from this week of frequent snack shopping, I tend to use all the groceries we have in the house before returning to WF. This is precisely because it isn't particularly convenient.  Consequently, there is less wasted food in this house. It was not uncommon to discover a three half-empty cans of corn or a bag of mushy spinach. This is the down side of my blind shopping I suppose, I buy the same things every time and end up with too much.  Now, if I want dinner, I need to make it with what I have and can't run to TJ's for something that sounds better.  This has been a particularly satisfying result of this project. I harbored a lot of guilt about how much food we wasted for a long time.  Such a subtle action has lifted little burdens off these shoulders, which is incredibly freeing. It feels good to feel good about what I take and what I offer.